NASCAR STAR KYLE LARSON OFFICIALLY ENTERS KNOXVILLE NATIONALS

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NASCAR STAR KYLE LARSON OFFICIALLY ENTERS KNOXVILLE NATIONALS
Story By: Knoxville Raceway Media – Images Courtesy: Pete MacDonald/RacersGuide.com
KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 12, 2016) – Kyle Larson, the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Rookie of the Year, who won his qualifying night race in his very first Knoxville Nationals start in 2012, has officially entered the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores.

Larson, 23, will compete in sprint car racing’s greatest race for the third time in his career. When the racing phenom won his qualifying night in his rookie year he left the sprint car world in awe. He went on to finish 16th in Saturday’s finale and earned the event’s Rookie of the Year title.

“Getting a win at Knoxville is so big,” Larson said after his qualifying night win. “I wasn’t expecting to win. I was more hoping to finish top five or so, but I’m happy for the win.”

The following year, while racing full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS), Larson again competed in the Knoxville Nationals. Larson, not locked into the finale with his qualifying night results, was forced to race in Friday’s preliminary night races. He started the day at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for NASCAR practice then flew to Knoxville, landing with just minutes to spare before hot laps. He won the feature event that night and locked himself into his second Knoxville Nationals finale. Before that, however, he had to return to Watkins Glen to race in the NXS event on Saturday afternoon. He again flew back to Knoxville that day and charged from a 17th-place starting position to a sixth-place finish.

While Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., has turned his focus to earning his first Sprint Cup win and a NASCAR championship, he’s been very open about his love for sprint car racing. The NSCS schedule has an off-weekend on August 12-13, allowing Larson to return to sprint car racing’s biggest stage. Larson and car owner/crew chief Paul Silva will field the white No. 57 entry he’s been racing this season in the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores. This year, the duo have competed in eight sprint car events, earning an amazing two wins, six top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

In the meantime, Larson will continue to race the No. 42 Target Chevy for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NSCS, where, on top of his Rookie of the Year honors, he’s earned 13 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes, including four runner-up finishes. With the success Larson has experienced in such little Knoxville Raceway track time, all competitors will have their eyes on the “part-time” driver as he chases his dream of winning the Knoxville Nationals.

Other entries received thus far for the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores include

* Jacob Allen of Indianapolis, Ind., will make his third Knoxville Nationals start. After finishing 13th in Saturday’s E-Main in his 2014 rookie year, Allen improved to a 10th-place finish in Saturday’s C-Main last year. He is the son of 1990 Knoxville Nationals winner Bobby Allen.

* Chad Kemenah will return to the Knoxville Nationals stage in the 10H entry. The Alveda, Ohio driver has qualified for seven Knoxville Nationals finales, earning a career-best runner-up finish in 2004. He’ll be joined by his crew chief and brother, Brian Kemenah, who won the 2010 Knoxville Nationals with driver Tim Shaffer.

* Mike Reinke of Howards Grove, Wisc., will be searching for his first Saturday finale start at this year’s Knoxville Nationals. Reinke competes with the IRA Series and has posted six top-10 finishes with the series this year.

* Danny Smith, a National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, will be making his 37th start in the Knoxville Nationals. He’s qualified for 13 Saturday finale events – the first in 1978 – and has posted seven top-10 finishes. The Danville, Ind., driver posted a career-best fourth-place finish in 1981.

* Lucas Wolfe of Mechanicsburg, Penn., will return to the Knoxville Nationals in the famed Zemco No. 1Z sprint car. Wolfe has previously qualified for four Saturday finale races and posted a career-best finish of ninth last year.

More confirmed drivers will be announced each week as we close in on the 56th running of sprint car racing’s most prestigious event. An updated list can be found at www.knoxvilleraceway.com/Event/Knoxville-Nationals. Pre-entry deadline is July 15.

The 56th annual 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores kicks-off on Wednesday, August 10 and concludes on Saturday, August 13. The event features more than 100 drivers from around the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Nearly 21,000 spectators converge upon Knoxville for the event.

Tickets for the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores are available for purchase at www.knoxvilleraceway.com or by calling 641-842-5431. Four-day ticket packages are also available.

More information about Knoxville Raceway and the 5-hour ENERGY® Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores can be found at the aforementioned website, on Knoxville Raceway’s Facebook page, @KnoxvilleRaces on Twitter and Knoxville Raceway on Instagram. The Knoxville Raceway app is also a free download for all Apple and Android phones and features live timing and scoring for every event.

About Knoxville Raceway: Located on the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa, Knoxville Raceway is a 1/2-mile dirt track that hosts winged 305, 360 and 410 sprint car racing every Saturday night from April to September. The “Sprint Car Capital of the World” also hosts the Knoxville Nationals, sprint car racing’s most prestigious event, as well as the Late Model Nationals and 360 Nationals. Knoxville Raceway is the third-largest outdoor stadium in Iowa with 24,612 seats and 32 luxury suites.

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